System and method for electronic message status notification

ABSTRACT

This invention is directed to a system and method for providing a status notification for a message in a communications network. An embodiment of this invention is a voicemail system, which provides a caller in a telecommunications network with the option of requesting a status notification for a voicemail message when the recording of the message is complete. By requesting status notification, the caller is indicating that the voicemail system should track any actions related to the message that occur within the voicemail system. The caller also specifies a destination identifier, which includes formatting and addressing information that the voicemail system uses for subsequent notification. As actions are taken in relation to the message, the voicemail system creates disposition identifiers and associates these identifiers with the message. When a triggering event occurs, such as the recipient deleting the message, the voicemail system retrieves the disposition identifiers to generate the status notification and sends the status notification in the format and to the address specified by the destination identifier.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/894,296 filed Jun. 28, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,230, the contentsof which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

This application relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/894,542,filed Jun. 28, 2001, entitled “System and Method for Electronic MessageStatus Certification,” which is incorporated herein by reference. Thisapplication relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/894,317,filed Jun. 28, 2001, entitled “System and Method for Voicemail MessageCertification and Reply Using A Temporary Voicemail Service,” which isincorporated herein by reference. This application relates to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/894,498, filed Jun. 28, 2001, entitled“System and Method for Electronic Message Status Notification and ReplyUsing Various Electronic Media,” which is incorporated herein byreference. This application relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/894,494, filed Jun. 28, 2001, entitled “System and Method forElectronic Message Status Notification,” which is incorporated herein byreference.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its Figurescontain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to the field of electronic messaging.This invention more particularly relates to providing statusnotification for a message in an electronic communications network. Anembodiment of this invention is particularly advantageous for providingstatus notification for a message in a voicemail system.

BACKGROUND

Electronic messaging services have become critical to the efficientoperation of business. These services have also become an indispensabletool for many individuals. As the importance of electronic messagingservices has grown, so has the importance of providing these services ina reliable, robust and cost-effective manner. The markets in which theservice providers provide these services have also become highlycompetitive, and this competitive environment exerts additional pressureon the service providers to continually improve electronic messagingservices. Service providers see erosion in their existing subscriberbase as competitive service providers continue to make it easier andattractive to migrate to their service offerings. An inability to changeservice offerings to keep pace with functional requirements causesadditional erosion. In order to compete effectively and increasesubscriber base, a service provider must endeavor to provide the highestpossible level of sought-after services while simultaneously deliveringthose services at a reasonable price.

Electronic messaging service providers currently provide a plurality ofspecialized value-added services to both business and individual users.Although the earliest true electronic messaging can be traced back to1844 and the advent of the first practical electric telegraph system;electronic messaging now principally includes messaging via e-mail,facsimile, interactive paging and voice communications systems, bothwired and wireless. However, electronic messaging is by no means limitedto these mediums. For example, various video mail solutions are becomingwidely available. For example, Pacific Image Communications offers ahome or small-office/home-office (SOHO) product, Super Voice® Videomail,that allows the attachment of a video and audio message to a standarde-mail message. (Super Voice® is a registered trademark of Pacific ImageCommunications, Inc.)

Also, videophones and video conferencing are now ubiquitous in largebusinesses. High-speed data lines, which were until recently limited tohigh-cost dedicated lines, have migrated to the home in the form ofdigital subscriber lines (xDSL) and cable-modems. This increase inavailable bandwidth enables a higher level of electronic messagingservice content in the home, and in combination with readily availablevideo communications equipment will expand the demand for video-basedmessaging services in the home as well.

Electronic messaging services beyond the basic sending, receiving andstoring of messages differ somewhat depending on the medium in which themessage is being transmitted. These services include, but are mostcertainly not limited to, message forwarding, automatic message repliesand message blocking. Despite a proliferation of available messagingservices, a basic service that is still lacking is a robust and flexiblestatus notification service. Also, although various media types havebeen integrated successfully within various messaging systems, arecipient has no level of assurance that the originator can receive areply to the message.

Most widely available e-mail systems adhere to Internet standards as setforth in the Requests for Comment (RFC). Generally, those systems thatdo not specifically adhere to the Internet standards, such as thosesystems which adhere to the International Telecommunications Union(ITU-T) X.400 standards, provide interfaces, which in turn provideInternet standards compatibility. Adherence to the Internet standardsincludes providing a means of status notification to the sender in theform of a message disposition notification (MDN). As those skilled inthe art are sure to recognize, disposition in this sense is not limitedto a final action taken on a message but rather includes any actiondirected to the message after successful delivery. Although e-mailsystems adhering to the standards-do provide MDN, the provision issubject to a variety of limitations. RFC 2298, the draft standard forMDN, defines a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) content-typethat a messaging system uses to report the disposition of a messageafter successful delivery. The standard defines disposition event types,which include, but are not limited to, displayed, dispatched, deleted,denied and mailbox-terminated events. Dispatch of a message means tosend the message to a destination; dispatch includes forwarding,replying and any other act, which would result in sending the message toa destination. When any of the disposition events occurs, an e-mailsystem adhering to the standard sends a disposition notification messageto a mailbox specified by the original sender in the header of theoriginal message.

Voicemail services and systems function within telecommunicationsnetworks, and modem telecommunications networks adhere to a common setof industry-specific standards. However, the actual feature setsincluded in voicemail and other value-added services are not the subjectof these standards. Instead, the service providers and their suppliersare responsible for determining the feature set that they include in aparticular service. The provision of status notification in voicemailservices is even more limited than in e-mail systems. One exemplaryvoicemail service is the BellSouth® MemoryCall® service. MemoryCall®provides status notification in the form of a confirmation that amessage has been accessed. When the recipient of the voicemail messageaccesses the message, a confirmation message is created and stored inthe voicemail box of the originating caller. The originating caller mustbe an existing subscriber to the MemoryCall® service, i.e., thevoicemail box must be preexisting. (BellSouth® is a registered trademarkof BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation. MemoryCall® is aregistered service mark of BellSouth Corporation.)

E-mail and voicemail systems are subject to a number of limitations inthe provision of message disposition notification. First, in an e-mailmessaging system adhering to RFC 2298, the recipient of the dispositionnotification must be identified as an attribute in the header of theoriginal message (Disposition-Notification-To). The attribute mustspecify a valid mailbox to which a disposition is subsequently sent. Themailbox refers to another e-mail address; the sender cannot specifyvarying mediums within which to reply. The original sender of a messagehas no flexibility in the manner of status notification and limitedflexibility in the return address. Also, as stated above, to utilizevoicemail confirmation in the MemoryCall® service, the caller must alsobe an existing subscriber of the service, i.e., the caller must have apredefined relationship with the voicemail system. Since thetelecommunication service provider generally provides this type ofservice, this requirement limits the availability of this feature tothose callers living or working within in a specific region, or perhaps,even within a specific community. Once again, the recipient cannotspecify an alternate medium within which to send the confirmation.

Another limitation of current electronic messaging systems is that theyidentify a message in a disposition notification or confirmation only byattributes of the message such as the recipient, the date created andperhaps a portion of the message. It can be quite difficult for a senderor caller to associate the disposition notification with the correctmessage. For instance, if a sender or caller using one of these servicessends a particular recipient multiple messages on the same day, it isvery difficult for the sender to determine to which message thedisposition notification applies.

Some of the limitations on disposition notification apply primarily to aspecific medium. For example, a limitation of current e-mail systems isthat a disposition notification message must be sent for eachdisposition of the message. Depending on the requirements of the sender,many of the disposition messages provided will be at least valueless andat worst distracting and irritating.

A limitation peculiar to voicemail systems is the inability to monitor arange of disposition event types when the recipient accesses themessage. A caller may wish to know whether or not the recipient deleteda message without listening to it, forwarded the message to anotherparty, or if the recipient was deleted from the voicemail system withoutever having accessed the message. This information is unavailable incurrent voicemail services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a system and method for providing a statusnotification for a message in a communications network. An embodiment ofthis invention includes a voicemail system, which provides a caller in atelecommunications network with the option of requesting statusnotification for a voicemail message when the recording of the messageis complete. By requesting status notification, the caller is indicatingthat the voicemail system should track any actions related to themessage that occur within the voicemail system and, in response to atriggering event, notify the original caller of the status of themessage. When a caller requests status notification, the caller alsospecifies a destination format and address for the status notification,such as a text format and an e-mail address. The voicemail system storesthe message, message identifiers, which the system uses to identify themessage and to indicate that the message requires notification, adestination identifier, which contains the format and addressinformation used for status notification, and disposition identifiers,which the system uses to track disposition events described below.

Disposition events include actions taken relative to the message,including message recipient actions, voicemail system administratoractions and actions resulting from an automatic event executed by thevoicemail system. The events include managing events, such as accessingor deleting the message, and dispatching events, such as forwarding themessage. When any of these events occur, the system stores additionaldata elements, herein referred to as disposition identifiers, with themessage. In response to a triggering event, the voicemail systemcompiles the message and disposition identifiers to ascertain the statusof a message and to generate a status notification. The systemcommunicates the status notification in the format and to the addressspecified by the destination identifier. The messaging systemadministrator specifies triggering events. Triggering events includeboth specified disposition events and the passage of a certain period oftime. The system administrator may specify additional triggering eventsas well.

An embodiment of this invention provides numerous advantages overcurrent electronic messaging systems. One advantage is that the systemallows the sender to specify various return addresses and formats. Forexample, a caller may leave a message from their cell phone whiletraveling. Rather than receive a charge for the call and for the minutesrequired by a subsequent return call relaying status notification, thecaller may choose status notification via e-mail. An embodiment of thisinvention as a voicemail service provides further advantages overcurrent voicemail offerings. Current voicemail services simply store aconfirmation message in an existing subscriber's voicemail box,indicating that a message has been accessed. An embodiment of thisinvention allows subscribers and non-subscribers alike to receive statusinformation without a voicemail box. Also, an embodiment of thisinvention tracks multiple disposition events, providing the requestorwith much more information than is available in current voicemailservices. Another advantage of this invention is the ability for acaller to add an annotation to the message to identify a particularmessage more accurately. Also, because status notifications are onlysent as the result of a triggering event, a status notification will notbe sent after every disposition event relating to the message.

Further details and advantages of this invention are set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of this invention arebetter understood when the following Detailed Description of theInvention is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment and an exemplaryenvironment for operation of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for requestingstatus notification for a message in an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for associatingidentifiers with a message and communicating the status notification inaccordance with a destination identifier in an embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for deleting anidentifier after the passage of time in an embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As described above, this invention provides a system and method forproviding a status notification for a message in a communicationsnetwork. An embodiment of this invention includes a processor to assigna message identifier for the message, receive a destination identifier,and associate the destination identifier with the message. The processorcreates a disposition identifier in response to a disposition event andassociates the disposition identifier with the message. In response to atriggering event, the processor compiles the message and dispositionidentifiers to generate a status notification. The processorcommunicates the status notification in accordance with the destinationidentifier.

For a messaging system to successfully track messages as they move intoand out of the system, the system must associate identifying informationwith the messages. An embodiment of this invention associates messageidentifiers with a message to facilitate tracking of the message.Message identifiers are discreet data elements describing the message.The message identifiers distinctly identify an individual message andits contents and also identify information contained in the header ofthe message, such as the source and destination of the message, thecommunication network within or across which a message has traversed,the parties to the message, and the dates and times at which certainmessage related events occur. Message identifiers, which describe thecontents of the message, include at least one of: a type identifier, analphanumeric identifier, a capabilities identifier and/or an annotation.A type identifier includes information regarding the format of themessage, such as text, rich text format (RTF) or HTML. An alphanumericidentifier is an identifier consisting of both alphabetic and numericsymbols. In an embodiment of this invention, the alphanumeric identifieris a unique code assigned to each message within the messaging system. Acapabilities identifier describes the media capabilities required tosuccessfully present the message. For example, if the message contains avideo clip, the messaging system must include or have access to a videomedia player to successfully present the message. An annotation allowsthe originator of a message to later identify the message. For example,a caller might record a brief audio annotation such as “lunch on May1^(st)” with a message to more easily identify the original message whenthe caller receives a subsequent status notification.

In an embodiment of this invention, message identifiers that describethe header information contained in the message include at least one of:a communication network identifier, a device identifier, a roleidentifier, a party identifier, a date identifier and/or a timeidentifier. A communications network identifier describes the type ofnetwork the message traversed as well as identifying various componentsof the network. For example, if an e-mail message originates on theInternet, the IP address associated with either the simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP) or post office protocol (POP) server is associated withthe message.

A device identifier describes the type of device used in acommunication, identifies an actual device, and/or describes a device'scapabilities with respect to voice, text and multimedia. For example, inone embodiment of this invention, the device on which the messageoriginates is a computer on the Internet. If the computer has a staticIP address, the system associates the IP address as a device identifierwith the message. In an embodiment of this invention as a voicemailsystem, the system associates the dialing number of the originator as adevice identifier with the message.

Identification of the parties to a communication is a criticalrequirement in any communications system, electronic or otherwise. Arole identifier describes a role that a party plays in a communication,and a party identifier describes a party to the communication. Dependingon the communication type, a party may participate in at least one of anumber of roles, including, but certainly not limited to, originator,sender, caller, recipient, and/or system administrator. A partyidentifier, which identifies a party, includes at least one of: an emailaddress, an access address, a voice sample, and an image. The applicabletype of party identifier varies depending on the type of message andcommunications network. For example, in an embodiment of this inventionas a voicemail system, a voice sample identifies a party to the message.An access address includes any address from which or to which themessage is directed. For example, in an embodiment of this invention asa voicemail system, a caller leaves a message in the system, and thesystem stores the caller's dialing number as the access address.

Date and time identifiers provide the capability to track when eventsoccur. For example, date and time identifiers are associated withmessages to indicate when the message is sent, received and/ordispatched. Date and time identifiers are also associated with otherevents, such as the disposition events that are described below, toindicate when these events occur.

In an embodiment of this invention, the originator of the messagespecifies a destination identifier when requesting a statusnotification. A destination identifier includes an address identifierand a format identifier. The address identifier specifies to whataddress a status notification is to be sent and includes at least oneof: an email address, and/or an access address. The format identifierspecifies in what format the system creates and sends the statusnotification. The format identifier is related to the address identifierin that the device to which the address identifier refers should becapable of rendering the format specified in the format identifier. Theformat identifier includes at least one of: an audio format, a videoformat, a text format, a short message service format and/or a markuplanguage document format. Short message service provides the ability tosend a short alphanumeric message (160 characters) to a mobile phoneoperating in a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network. Amarkup language format includes documents created using subsets of thestructured general markup language (SGML), such as hypertext markuplanguage (HTML), extensible markup language (XML) and video XML.

An embodiment of this invention compiles the message identifiers anddisposition identifiers to generate a status notification. The systemformats and communicates the status notification in accordance with theformat and address as specified in the destination identifier. Forexample, in an embodiment of this invention as an e-mail system, thesender of the message specifies an audio format and a dialing number fornotification. The e-mail system stores the sender's specification as adestination identifier and associates disposition identifiers with themessage as changes occur. When a triggering event occurs, the e-mailsystem compiles the message and disposition identifiers to create thestatus notification, performs a text-to-speech conversion to format thenotification and communicates the notification to the dialing number.

An embodiment of this invention includes disposition identifiers. Thedisposition identifiers provide a method of tracking changes to thestatus of the message when disposition events occur. A disposition eventincludes at least one of: a managing event and/or a dispatching event. Amanaging event includes management of the message, the messaging systemand the identifiers associated with the message. A managing eventincludes at least one of: accessing the message, deleting the message,presenting an indication of the message, expiring the message,terminating a recipient of the message from the communications network,denying the status notification for the message, and/or a malfunctioningof the status notification for the message. An indication of the messageis anything that brings the message's presence in the messaging systemto the attention of the recipient. The recipient may or may not act onthe message when the recipient receives the indication. For example, amessaging system indicates that two messages exist, but that only one isurgent. If the recipient accesses only the urgent message, the recipienthas received indication of both messages, but only accessed one.Expiring the message refers to the deleting or inactivating of a messageafter a designated period of time. A dispatching of the message is anyact that causes the original message to be sent to an address, such asforwarding the message and/or replying to the message. As thedisposition events occur, the messaging system creates and associatesadditional disposition identifiers with the message. The compilation atany point in time of the disposition identifiers provides the currentstatus of the message.

An embodiment of this invention communicates the notification inresponse to a triggering event. A triggering event includes at least oneof: a disposition event, and/or a passage of time. The dispositionevents are the same as those described above. In one embodiment of thissystem, the system administrator specifies the triggering events. Inanother embodiment, the triggering events are pre-configured attributesin the messaging system.

Billing for services is a necessity for any communications serviceprovider. An embodiment of this invention bills a party to the messagefor providing a status notification for a message. Various embodimentsof billing are possible. One embodiment bills the originator of themessage when the originator requests a status notification. Anotherembodiment bills the recipient a flat monthly charge for making theservice available for communications directed to the recipient.

In an embodiment of this invention, the messaging system processorincludes a central processing unit as well as read-only memory (ROM) andrandom access memory (RAM). The system stores the attribute for thestatus notification in the processor's RAM. Storing the attribute inthis manner ensures fast retrieval times. The attributes include atleast one of: the message identifier, the destination identifier, thedisposition identifier and the status notification. An alternativeembodiment of this invention includes a data repository to store theattribute. The data repository provides somewhat slower data access butimproves stability and recoverability of the system. In one embodimentof this invention, the data repository includes a single database. Inanother embodiment, the system includes multiple databases, a firstdatabase for storing the message, and a second for storing the attributeassociated with a message.

An embodiment of this invention also provides administrative functions,including, but not limited to, deleting, monitoring, moving, forwarding,securing, archiving and backing up the attribute. These functions allowthe administrator to effectively manage the resource requirements on themessaging system relative to the status notification requests. Anembodiment of this invention also provides administrative functionalityto the recipient of a message, including informing a recipient of anattribute or a message and blocking an attribute of a message.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, this invention is advantageously embodied as asystem in an advanced intelligent network (AIN) 101, which providesadvanced services such as voicemail. As is known to those skilled in theart, an AIN includes a plurality of hardware and software elementsoperating over industry standard communication protocols, includingsignaling system 7 (SS7). For the sake of brevity, only a basicdescription of the AIN is provided herein. For further informationregarding aspects of the AIN, refer to Weisser, U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,719,which is incorporated herein by reference.

An embodiment of this invention includes an intelligent peripheral (IP)112 to provide the status notification functionality. An intelligentperipheral executes service logic programs or other similar software toprovide advanced services in an AIN. An intelligent peripheral alsoincludes dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) and voice recognition as wellas voice synthesis capabilities.

A call is placed on a telephone 160 that is functionally connected to aservice switching point (SSP) 125. An SSP is a central office switchthat provides intelligent network functionality. Once the SSP collectsthe dialed digits, the SSP generates a trigger. A trigger generates apacket that is sent to a service control point (SCP) 115 through asignal transfer point (STP) 120, causing the SCP to query its databaseto determine whether to provide conventional telephone service or anenhanced service for the call. Signal transfer points are packetswitching systems that can route and concentrate messages exchangedbetween service control points and service switching points. A servicecontrol point includes computer processors, application software anddatabases that control the setup, monitoring and termination of phonecalls.

The SSP pauses as the trigger is routed through the STP 120 to the SCP115. The SCP 115 looks up the record for the dialed number anddetermines that the calling line is busy and that the subscriber is alsoa subscriber to a voicemail service. The SCP sends packets back to theSSP via the STP 120. The SSP 125 establishes a voice and data link tothe IP 112. The IP accepts the voicemail message and provides the callerwith audio instructions regarding establishing a status notification.The IP receives the status notification information from the caller viaDTMF recognition or voice recognition and stores the information,message and destination identifiers, in a database in the IP. The callerterminates the call, and all data and voice resources are released.

As is clear to one skilled in the art, multiple embodiments of thisinvention are possible. This invention may be embodied as a system in anadvanced intelligent network (AIN), as a system including no AINcomponents or as a system which combines aspects both inside an outsidean AIN. For example, the forwarding of a call to an intelligentperipheral may be a purely switch-based “call forward no answer” or“call forward busy.”

When the message recipient listens to the voicemail message, the IP 112stores a disposition identifier with the message. The recipient'saccessing the message is a triggering event as described above. Inresponse to the triggering event, the IP compiles the message anddisposition identifiers and creates a status notification. The IPformats and communicates the notification in accordance with thedestination identifier. For example, if the original caller hadrequested an e-mail notification, the IP creates a simple text e-mailmessage.

SSP 125 also provides an interface between the AIN and terminationpoints, such as an interface 130, 145, 165, 180. An interface, such as arouter, gateway or other similar device, acts as a protocol converterbetween disparate networks.

The status notification is sent to any of a number of network accessdevices (NAD) 135, 160, 175, 190, 199. The NAD is functionally connectedto the SSP 125 and is operative receive and render the statusnotification. The status notification takes at least one of many forms,depending on the capabilities of the NAD. The NAD includes at least oneof: a telephone 160, 135, a cellular-capable device 199, a personaldigital assistant (PDA) 190 and/or a computer 175. The NAD may beconnected directly to the SSP or may exist in a network, which isconnected to the SSP via one or more of the afore mentioned interfaces

In an embodiment of this invention, a mobile telephone switching office(MTSO) 135 is functionally connected to an interface 130, which isfunctionally connected to the SSP 125. The MTSO facilitates access of acellular-capable device 199 to the AIN 101 and reception of the statusnotification. Another embodiment of this invention also includes acomputer network 170, which is functionally connected to an interface165 and provides direct link or common web-based access to the AIN andfurther facilitates reception of the status notification via a computernetwork client device 175. As is obvious to one skilled in the art,various other interfaces, external networks, such as the public switchedtelephone network 150, and access devices, such as a personal digitalassistant, 190, provide access to the AIN.

An embodiment of this invention also includes administrativefunctionality. The administrative functionality is necessary for theconvenience of the recipient and for the efficient management of the AIN101. In an embodiment, the IP 112 is further operative to delete theidentifiers, based on actions by the recipient, by the systemadministrator, or automatically based on variables such as the passageof time. An embodiment also includes functionality to the recipient of avoicemail message to provide flexibility and privacy in the recipient'suse of the voicemail service. The IP is further operative to inform arecipient of a request for status notification. Also, the IP isoperative to allow a recipient to block a status notification on aparticular message or to block status notification on all messagesdirected to the recipient.

An embodiment of this invention also includes further administrativefunctionality implemented through the use of another AIN element, aservice management system (SMS). A SMS is an element designed to providemanagement and reporting capabilities to an AIN, such as managingsoftware, service data and subscriber data updates and generatingsubscriber service reports. Referring again to FIG. 1, SMS 110 isfunctionally connected to IP 112 and SCP 115 and is operative to monitorthe identifiers. The monitoring functionality includes subscriberservice reports and broader system management reports as identified byan administrator of the system. The SMS is further operative to performadditional administrative functionalities such as specifying the statusnotification-triggering event. A terminal 105 provides access to presenta graphical user interface to a system administrator or other user withaccess to the AIN. The graphical user interface provides administrativefunctionality, such as displaying the identifier monitoring reports.

In an embodiment of this invention, at least three discreet processesoccur. First, an originator of a message creates a message, indicating adesire for a status notification and specifying the address and formatof the notification. Second, the recipient's messaging system maintainsthe identifiers necessary to provide the status notification. Third, atriggering event occurs, and the recipient's messaging systemcommunicates a status notification in accordance with the destinationidentifier. FIGS. 2 and 3 provide a more detailed illustration of anembodiment of the steps carried out in accordance with this invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the messaging system receives a message 205. Thesystem provides the originator of the message with the option ofenabling status notification for the message 210. For example, in anembodiment of this invention as an e-mail system, the option is one ofseveral options available when sending a message. In an embodiment ofthis invention as a voicemail system, the option is provided at theconclusion of the recording of the voicemail message. Referring again toFIG. 2, if the originator chooses to forgo status notification, theprocess ends 299. If instead the originator decides to add statusnotification, the system prompts the sender to specify an address towhich the status notification is to be sent and a format in which thestatus notification is to be formatted 215. For example, the originatorspecifies an e-mail address and the system formats the statusnotification as a text message. Alternatively, the originator specifiesan access address, such as a dialing number, and specifies acorresponding audio format for delivery of the status notification. Theoriginator also specifies identification information regarding themessage 220.

The recipient's messaging system associates an initial set ofidentifiers with the message 225. These identifiers include data aboutthe sender, the recipient, the date and time of the call and any otherdata regarding the message as well as the destination address and formatof the status notification. Once the system stores the identifiers, theprocess is complete 299.

If the system has associated a request for status notification with amessage, the recipient's messaging system associates dispositionidentifiers with the message whenever a status change occurs. Referringto FIG. 3, the recipient accesses the message and accessing the messageis a disposition event 305; in response, the recipient's messagingsystem associates a disposition identifier with the message 315. Themessaging system then determines whether the recipient's accessing themessage constitutes a triggering event 320. If not, the process ends399. If the access is a triggering event, the messaging system compilesthe identifiers to create a status notification 325. The messagingsystem communicates the status notification to the address and in theformat specified by the originator and stored as a destinationidentifier 330.

An embodiment of this invention also provides administrativefunctionality. To ensure the efficient use of resources, an embodimentof this invention may delete, archive or otherwise transfer or disposeof the identifiers associated with a message. For example, in anembodiment of this invention, a system administrator identifiestriggering events for the deletion of identifiers such as after statusnotification has been communicated or after the passage of a specifiedperiod of time. In one embodiment of this invention an automated processas illustrated in FIG. 4 deletes the identifiers after the passage oftime. A system administrator specifies the number of days after which aset of identifiers is stale and can therefore be deleted from thesystem.

Referring to FIG. 4, the embodiment of the steps of this inventionbegins with the retrieval a message identifier (MID) 405. Once the MIDhas been retrieved, the system identifies the message with which the MIDis associated 410. By examining the attributes of the message, includingthe date it was created, the system determines whether the age of themessage is greater than a specified number of days (n) 415. The systemadministrator specifies the value of n prior to the beginning of thisprocess, such as during the configuration of the messaging system. Ifthe message is greater than n days old, the system retrieves the newestMID associated with the message 420; if the message is less than orequal to n days old, the process ends 499. The newest MID is the MIDassociated with the most recent disposition event related to themessage.

The system determines whether the newest MID is greater than n days old425. If so, the system determines whether or not communication of astatus notification has occurred 430. If so, every MID associated withthe message is deleted from the system 440. If status notification hasnot been communicated, the system next performs a further check todetermine whether the newest MID is greater than n+7 days old or someother period as defined by the system administrator or user 435. If so,every MID associated with the message is deleted from the system 440.This process is repeated for each remaining MID in the system.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the inventionhas been presented only for the purpose of illustration and descriptionand is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications and adaptations thereofwill be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of this invention.

1. A method for providing a status notification for a message in acommunications network comprising: assigning a message identifier forthe message; receiving a destination identifier for communicating thestatus notification; and associating the destination identifier with themessage; wherein the destination identifier comprises an addressidentifier indicating an address to which the status notification is tobe sent, the address identifier indicating an address different than anoriginating address for the message, wherein the method furthercomprises: creating a disposition identifier in response to adisposition event corresponding to a change in message status;associating the disposition identifier with the message, wherein thedisposition identifier is associated with the message in response to achange in message status; determining whether accessing of the messageconstitutes a triggering event; and creating the status notificationwhen the accessing of the message constitutes the triggering event, thestatus notification including the disposition identifier created priorto the triggering event.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating thestatus notification comprises: compiling the disposition identifier andthe message identifier to create the status notification when theaccessing of the message constitutes the triggering event; and whereinthe method further comprises communicating the status notification inaccordance with the destination identifier.
 3. The method of claim 2,further comprising: billing a party to the message for the providing ofthe status notification.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thedisposition event comprises at least one of: a managing event; and adispatching event.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the managing eventcomprises at least one of: accessing the message; deleting the message;presenting an indication of the message; expiring the message; andterminating a recipient of the message from the communications network.6. The method of claim 4, wherein the managing event comprises at leastone of: denying the status notification of the message; andmalfunctioning of the status notification of the message.
 7. The methodof claim 4, wherein the dispatching event comprises at least one of:forwarding the message; and replying to the message.
 8. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of: thedisposition event; and a passage of time.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising storing an attribute for the status notification forthe message, wherein the attribute comprises at least one of: themessage identifier; the destination identifier; the dispositionidentifier; and the status notification.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising administrative functionality, wherein theadministrative functionality comprises at least one of: deleting theattribute; monitoring the attribute; moving the attribute; forwardingthe attribute; securing the attribute; archiving the attribute; backingup the attribute; informing a recipient of the attribute; and blockingthe attribute.
 11. A system to provide a status notification for amessage in a communications network comprising: a processor to assign amessage identifier for the message; the processor further operative toreceive a destination identifier for communicating the statusnotification; and the processor further operative to associate thedestination identifier with the message; wherein the destinationidentifier comprises an address identifier indicating an address towhich the status notification is to be sent, the address identifierindicating an address different than an originating address for themessage; and the processor further operative to create a dispositionidentifier in response to a disposition event corresponding to a changein message status; the processor further operative to associate thedisposition identifier with the message, wherein the dispositionidentifier is associated with the message in response to a change inmessage status; the processor further operative to determine whetheraccessing of the message constitutes a triggering event; and create thestatus notification when the accessing of the message constitutes thetriggering event, the status notification including the dispositionidentifier created prior to the triggering event.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the processor is further operative to: compile thedisposition identifier and the message identifier to create the statusnotification when the accessing of the message constitutes thetriggering event; and communicate the status notification in accordancewith the destination identifier.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein theprocessor is further operative to: bill a party to the message for theproviding of the status notification.
 14. The system of claim 11,wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of: the dispositionevent; and a passage of time.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein thedisposition event comprises at least one of: a managing event; and adispatching event.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the managingevent comprises at least one of: accessing the message; deleting themessage; presenting an indication of the message; expiring the message;and terminating a recipient of the message from the communicationsnetwork.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the managing eventcomprises at least one of: denying the status notification of themessage; and malfunctioning of the status notification of the message.18. The system of claim 15, wherein the dispatching event comprises atleast one of: forwarding the message; and replying to the message. 19.The system of claim 11, the processor further operative for storing anattribute for the status notification for the message, wherein theattribute comprises at one least of: the message identifier; thedestination identifier; the disposition identifier; and the statusnotification.
 20. The system of claim 19, the processor furtheroperative to perform administrative functionality, wherein theadministrative functionality comprises at least one of: deleting theattribute; monitoring the attribute; moving the attribute; forwardingthe attribute; securing the attribute; archiving the attribute; backingup the attribute; informing a recipient of the attribute; and blockingthe attribute.